D-HEX-23675 & D-MSU-03: Discrepancy
by AequitasOnAZipdisk
Summary: [G1][QUINTESSA] MSU-03 Pai'luck and HEX-23675 Mandar discover that they share an unsettling truth; they remember more days than they know to have. More alarming, their parts are much older than their programming is. [Completed one-shot]


Story: Unit D-HEX-23675 &amp; D-MSU-03: Discrepancy  
MSU-03 Pai'luck and HEX-23675 Mandar discover that they share an unsettling truth; they remember more days than they know to have. More alarming, their parts are much older than their programming is.

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D-HEX-23675 &amp; D-MSU-03: Discrepancy

There was a small room off the side of a hallway in the deeper service areas of the Khalanxis tower. The room was made from uncolored metal and was clinically clean with no interior. Two small mechs stood within the room, their shoulders almost touching. One of them, whom the makers called Pai'luck, was a rather timid looking mech who hardly ever made eye contact with anyone. A logo and identification number were stamped into its colorless plating on various places and several steel rings were welded onto the body. Pai'luck identified as a D-MSU model; a heavily controlled service mech based on the military goods that were once created on Cybertron. But as it so happens, just like the D-HEX units, D-MSU units are custom built on Quintessa. They are not meant to be sold, and are only being used as service mechs to keep the research facility neat and tidy. In all origins similar to a D-HEX, D-MSU differ in the way that they are extremely docile and have no recognition of their ability to make decisions. They function with only half a personality core, and are forever connected to one mainframe that schedules their actions. They are easily manufactured, cheap, and versatile: following the D-HEX build of being small they fit easily into narrow spaces such as engines and ventilation systems to clean out gunk and grime.

The other unit, named Hextaida Mandar, was a much less timid specimen and it stood straighter than its companion. Its metal was a wee bit colored: sandy brown and steel blue. Here, the logo and identification number were printed on instead of stamped. There were no rings to be seen, but the form was similar to the other unit in all other aspects. One familiar with Cybertronians could deduce that the mechs had an alternate mode, but what it was was obscure. It mainly consisted of engines, or turbines. The model type and ID number indicated that the colored mech was an aforementioned D-HEX model. Its precise type unique in the facility, evident by the text [research property of Emphisa – Revered Chief of Science of the Aphos wing] set below its moniker.

Both mechs were locked in a state of rest and remained silent for a long while until the colorless D-MSU mech spoke up. The voice was heavily synthesized, and only contained a slight hint of some random, undefined accent that made its voice warm, yet formal and docile. "This one swept the floor of compound Anesis. It is unsure why, but it feels like the stains of oil are back every day." The report was made to the air in general, a nondescript mutter without addressing anyone. Pai'luck did not receive an order to speak up, which was curious enough. One might call it a little odd for a D-MSU to voice itself without a prompt. Its company, Hextaida, did not reply for a long while before finally speaking out, "That is because it is true, Unit Pai'luck."  
"Question: What is true, Unit Hextaida?"  
"The oil stains return, Unit Pai'luck. Do not question them."  
It was silent for a while before the ringed mech replied: "Question: How can this one question stains? It makes no sense, Unit Hextaida. Stains do not speak."  
"That was not what this one meant, Unit Pai'luck. It meant that it should not question why it does the same thing every day."  
The D-MSU model twitched, a slight frown shimmering through the otherwise blank expression. With a great exertion of will, it contradicted Hextaida's words; "Statement: This one does not do the same thing every day, Unit Hextaida."  
The answer that it received from D-HEX-23675 was inquisitive, as if an interesting discovery had been made; "Unit Pai'luck knows what it does each day, then?"  
A long silence. A little forlorn, Pai'luck answered: "Negative. This one came online today; therefore it does not know what it does each day, Unit Hextaida."  
With a slight scowl, Hextaida replied cunningly, "Unit Pai'luck contradicts itself. If it came online today, then it has no other days to try and analyze."  
"Affirmative, Unit Hextaida."  
"Yet Unit Pai'luck attempts to analyze its other days?"  
"Affirmative, Unit Hextaida."  
Hextaida hesitated a bit before inquiring: "Does Unit Pai'luck know what it did yesterday?"  
Pai'luck thought it over before shaking its head while staring out into nothingness, "Negative. It does not know what it did yesterday, Unit Hextaida. There is no yesterday."

The two stood there silently. Eventually, Pai'luck spoke up; "Permission to submit a query to Unit Hextaida?"  
"Permission granted, Unit Pai'luck."  
"Acknowledged. Unit Hextaida, does it remember what it did yesterday?"  
"Affirmative, Unit Pai'luck. This one does."

Another silence as the machines processed their odd little conversation. They stood motionless, each one locked in its own processes. Until, yet again, Pai'luck broke the silence, by now having spoken a lot more words than what is usual for its model type; "Permission to submit a second query to Unit Hextaida?" The answer lasted a few seconds, but indeed, "Permission granted, Unit Pai'luck."  
"Acknowledged. Unit Hextaida, does it remember what it did the day before yesterday?"  
"Affirmative, Unit Pai'luck. This one remembers the day before yesterday."  
Now, almost immediately, Pai'luck responded to the answer, "Acknowledged. Unit Hextaida, Permission to submit one final query?"  
There was a longer pause as the sandy brown and steel blue mech turned its head to observe the ringed service mech with a curious gaze, "Permission granted, Unit Pai'luck."

Pai'luck kept looking forward, unaware of Hextaida's observing gaze. "Acknowledged. Unit Hextaida… how many days does it remember?"  
"This one remembers a total of forty-seven days, thirteen hours, seventeen minutes and thirty-six seconds, Unit Pai'luck"  
"Acknowledged, Unit Hextaida."  
With a sigh, which is the first truly non-void action any of them displayed so far, Hextaida added, "This one's components are much older than forty-seven days, thirteen hours, eighteen minutes and fifteen seconds, Unit Pai'luck…" The implication was there, out in the open. Hextaida observed Pai'luck's face curiously, noticing the small hint of intense confusion threatening to show itself. But the D-HEX's function as research pet made it trained to catch those minute signals. And indeed, it was with hardly a whisper that Pai'luck replied; "This one's components are also much older than thirteen hours, eighteen minutes and thirty-six seconds, Unit Hextaida…"

It wasn't correct. How could their components be older, but their days fewer? It wasn't that they had been offline – they would still have those days after all even if they were offline. They simply didn't have enough days to add up. It didn't exist. Heavily aware of the discrepancy between the age of their components and their actual remembered days, both mechs continued to stare into oblivion. Eventually, Pai'luck's systems bleeped to mark the end of its rest, and it walked off without a word. Hextaida watched the mech go, also without a word. For a moment it wondered what it would be like to be connected to the mainframe, to move as it was commanded to, when commanded to. Would such a thing be enjoyable, or would it feel constricting?

Hextaida only saw Pai'luck again when it halted on the same spot, at the same time, the next day. It was exactly as the central mainframe directed. The sandy brown and steel blue mech walked up and stood shoulder to shoulder with his companion. They stood there, both locked in their state of rest. After a while, Pai'luck spoke out to the room; "This one swept the floor of compound Anesis. It is unsure why, but it feels like the stains are back every day."

With a slight hint of sorrow, Hextaida waited, and then answered dutifully, "That's because it is true, Unit Pai'luck."  
"Question: What is true, Unit Hextaida?"  
"The stains return, Unit Pai'luck. Do not question them."

But it should. Hextaida knew as much. The never-ending return of the stains should be questioned, just like they were going to question their missing days in just a few moments. Like they did every day if he spent his rest on this spot in the Khalanxis facility.  
A thought tugged at his mind; he didn't question their missing days with this mech. Not every day. Not /before/.  
That thought should be questioned too. Hextaida had been here since he came online, since his first day forty-seven days ago. And he had been talking to this D-MSU model almost every day. But the thought was insistent that all of that was not the case. There was a /before/. It was strange because if he tried hard enough to imagine himself active before his first day his body would shudder involuntarily. The attempt always conjured up a distant memory of a searing pain in his chest and a helpless sensation of his energy rushing away into a void he wasn't sure he could return from. But he didn't know for sure since there was always the memory of a cold cylinder pumping him full with life and keeping him from discovering that dark and quiet abyss.

It wasn't a memory, Hextaida reminded himself. Whatever that memory, no, delusion, insisted upon it had never happened to him. The pain was not his. He didn't even feel pain: it was just a simulation. And Hextaida was quick to put his own advice to heart and discard the delusion as obtrusive and illegal and most importantly not his.

Good mechs don't question their days.  
Hextaida Mandar was a good mech.  
He wouldn't question these things.

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End of Story: D-HEX-23675 &amp; D-MSU-03: Discrepancy.

It's been a while, but I would still like to finish this series. Journal 4 is momentarily on hold; it is basically finished as much as needed but I might be able to add my last ideas to it later. No promises though since I'm focusing on finishing up.

Fun fact: this specific story (Discrepancy) was written in the beginning of 2013. Its early creation happened on an idea of these contained mechs capable of briefly grasping their dystopian situation, but they fail to exactly find out what is happening to them. I'm personally a big fan of the 'mechanical' nature of the characters and their relationship as 'template' and 'clone' that is displayed through their speech and actions.


End file.
